Condition Report
is comprised of two framed images
printed on paper
Behind the glazing of each frame
the sheets of paper
measure 81 centimetres high
by 58 centimetres wide
On each panel
there is a short statement
shown in large black text
it reads
I AM A MAN
On both panels
the statement reads from top to bottom
in three equally spaced out rows
the words 'I AM' appear on the top row
The letter 'A' makes up the second row
and the word 'MAN' takes up the third row
The text is shown
in uppercase letters
and presented in a plain font
against a greyish white background
Bold and clear
the words have a further impact
by being shown twice
I AM A MAN
In both
sets of text the word 'AM' is underlined
with a rather
thin straight
line in comparison
to the more thick set lettering
Given the slight emphasis on one word
the statement could read
I 'AM' A MAN
The two frames are shown
in portrait format
and they hang together
side by side forming a pair
Each printed image
is positioned centrally
and each roughly measures 62 centimetres high
by 39 centimetres wide
moderately smaller
than their sheets of paper
These printed images have margins
with straight lines
surrounded by areas of white paper
In the frame on the right
however the dimensions
of the printed image
are confused
by additional features
around its margins
Here there is an assortment
of small notations and marks
that appear to be handwritten
in black pen
The two framed images are identical
except that one is marked
with lines
squiggles and small handwritten words
Despite these tiny markings
the large letters of the main text
remain clear
still boldly declaring the message
I AM A MAN
With this repeated statement
the two panels resemble
signs or placards
that declare identical slogans
Another placard-like feature
is the artwork's handmade quality
Although all the letters
have straight lines and no curves
they appear to be painted by hand
That greyish white background looks
even more roughly painted
with rushed uneven brushstrokes
Both images
are printed
reproductions of one handmade painting
The print on the right though
with its overlaid notations
is a reproduction of marks made
by handwriting
as well as by hand painting
Condition Report
was made in 2000
by the American artist Glenn Ligon
Here Ligon has twice reproduced
his own painting in separate prints
The original painting
completed 12 years
earlier in 1988 is called
Untitled
I AM A MAN
The painting is based on
signs carried by Black sanitation workers
marching for civil rights in 1968
in Memphis Tennessee
the workers were on strike
campaigning for better wages
and better treatment
Martin Luther King
on the day of his assassination
had gone to Memphis
in support
of the sanitation workers' march
20 years later
Ligon made his painted version
of the sign on canvas
using a combination of fine art
oil paint and sign painting enamel
Two materials that dry at different rates
Over time small cracks
appeared across the painting surface
and some areas became discoloured
To produce
Condition Report
Ligon had the condition
of his own painting
examined by painting conservator
Michael Duffy
Duffy added small notations in black pen
over the top
of a printed reproduction
of Ligon's painting
This is all now on show
on the right panel of
Condition Report
With dots and squiggles
Duffy highlighted
various surface blemishes
and he penned a series of thin lines
that point at the highlighted areas
These pointing and lines trail in
from tiny handwritten words
outside the margins
Words that specifically
identify those blemishes
Words like 'smudge'
'hairline cracks'
and 'dark scrape'
For Ligon
the theme of change went further
Just as the painting could change
so could the interpretation of its words
Ligon's perspective on
Black American history
was that of a contemporary Black American
born in 1960
and making this artwork in 2000
In portrait format
the artwork has been read
as a form of self-portraiture
The words
I AM A MAN
could be Ligon's personal plea
for equal treatment
both in American society
and in the American art world
Additionally in his art
and in his life as a gay man
Ligon was already questioning
traditional notions of manliness
His interest in civil rights history
increasingly focused on activists
like James Baldwin
who not only experienced racism
but also homophobia from all sides
Ligon concluded that images
and words
when seen in different circumstances over time
can be reinterpreted
Condition Report
asserts that artworks and history
are far from static or fixed
They are as years go by
subject to changing conditions
This audio description was written and
recorded by John Hughes